Richard Childress Racing

Recent News

Sprint Cup Preview for Michigan Int’l Speedway

Jeff, Kevin and Paul will have a Dillon joining them this weekend

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series News and Notes

Race: Michigan 400Date: Sunday, June 16, 2013Location: Michigan International Speedway
Richard Childress Racing in the Motor City ... In 133 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Michigan International Speedway (MIS), RCR teams have earned three wins, two with Dale Earnhardt (June 1987, 1990) and the most recent with Kevin Harvick (August 2010). Additionally, RCR has claimed 17 top-five and 44 top-10 finishes with 10 different drivers including Richard Childress, a former driver in NASCAR's top division, who recorded top-10 finishes at MIS in June 1978 and August 1979. The Welcome, N.C.-based organization has an 18.6 average starting position, an average finishing position of 16.8, has completed 24,923 of the 26,322 contested laps (94.6 percent) and has led 685 laps in the Irish Hills.
RCR in the NSCS ... In 2,315 Sprint Cup Series starts dating back to 1969, RCR has amassed 103 wins, 42 pole awards, 439 top-five finishes and 922 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 17.9 and an average finishing position of 15.8. RCR has earned 14 total championships (six Sprint Cup Series championships with Earnhardt in 1986, '87, '90,'91, '93 and '94, five NASCAR Nationwide Series titles, two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series titles and one ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards title) and was the first organization to win titles in NASCAR's three national series. RCR Pocono Rewind ... Last weekend at Pocono Raceway, Harvick scored his sixth top-10 finish of the season while Jeff Burton and Paul Menard finished 11th and 30th, respectively.
The Collective RCR ... Throughout the season's first 14 races, RCR's Sprint Cup Series entries have earned two wins with Harvick at Richmond International Raceway (April) and in the Coca-Cola 600, notched four top-five and 12 top-10 finishes with drivers Burton, Austin Dillon, Harvick and Menard. RCR's three full-time Sprint Cup Series drivers rank fifth (Harvick), 12th (Menard) and 21st (Burton) in the driver championship point standings.
Interactive RCR ... For up-to-date news and exclusive content, visit RCR's Twitter page - @RCRracing - along with the RCR Sprint Cup Series team Twitter pages - @RCR27PMenard, @RCR29KHarvick, @RCR31JeffBurton and driver Twitter page @KevinHarvick. Information about the 14-time championship winning organization can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardChildressRacing and at www.RCRracing.com along with official driver pages - www.facebook.com/PaulMenard27, www.facebook.com/OfficialKevinHarvick and www.facebook.com/OfficialJeffBurton.
Catch the Action ... TNT's live coverage from Michigan International Speedway begins Sunday, June 16 at Noon Eastern Time. The race will also be broadcast on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Paul Menard
No. 27 CertainTeed/Menards Chevrolet SS

This Week's CertainTeed/Menards Chevrolet ... Paul Menard will pilot chassis No. 427 at Michigan International Speedway. This No. 27 Chevrolet SS is a new addition to the Richard Childress Racing stable.

Michigan Stats... Menard has 13 starts at Michigan International Speedway. His best start of ninth and best finish of fourth both came in 2011. The Wisconsin native has completed 2,564 of 2,610 laps attempted (98.2 percent) at the Brooklyn, Mich., track, leading 14 of them.
About CertainTeed ... CertainTeed Corporation is a leading North American manufacturer of building materials including roofing, vinyl and fiber cement siding, trim, fence, railing, decking, foundations, insulation, gypsum, ceilings, and pipe products. Headquartered in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, CertainTeed has approximately 6,000 employees and 65 facilities throughout the United States and Canada. CertainTeed is a subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, one of the top 100 industrial companies in the world. Saint-Gobain employs approximately 19,000 people in North America and approximately 109,000 people in 64 countries world-wide. Saint-Gobain's North American companies operate 130 manufacturing facilities in industries as diverse as industrial ceramics and containers, reinforcements and flat glass, abrasives, and building materials. For more information, please visit www.certainteed.com.

Double Duty ... In addition to driving the No. 27 CertainTeed/Menards Chevrolet SS in Sunday afternoon's race, Menard will pilot the No. 33 Rheem/Menards Chevrolet Camaro in the NASCAR Nationwide Series event on Saturday afternoon. This race is scheduled to air live on ABC at 2 p.m. Eastern Time, along with the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Race Rewind ... Starting 18th, Menard was en route to a top-15 finish in last spring's event at Michigan International Speedway, but ran out of fuel two laps shy of the checkered flag and finished 22nd at the two-mile track.

PAUL MENARD QUOTEMenard's Thoughts on Racing at Michigan International Speedway: "Michigan International Speedway is a really fast two-mile track, and with the new Gen-6 car this year we may experience even faster speeds than we did last year after the track was repaved. I'm excited to get unloaded on Friday and see what our CertainTeed/ Menards Chevrolet will do on the track. I'm going to have some extra seat time this weekend running in the Nationwide (Series) race, so hopefully I can apply what I learn in Saturday's race to Sunday's 400-mile event. We've had a tough couple of weeks, but I'm optimistic we can turn our luck around this weekend and bring home a good finish and gain some valuable points at Michigan."

Kevin Harvick
No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet SS

This Week's Budweiser Chevrolet SS at Michigan International Speedway ... Kevin Harvick will pilot chassis No. 378 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the Michigan 400. The California native last piloted this Chevrolet to an 11th-place finish in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May.

Irish Hills Stats ... Harvick has made 24 starts at the two-mile d-shaped oval dating back to the 2001 season. During that time, the RCR veteran has collected one win (August 2010), three top-five and eight top-10 finishes. He holds an 18.7 average starting position coupled with a 14.8 average finishing position, has completed 99.1 percent (4,660 or 4,701) of the laps contested and is credited with 149 laps led.
Budweiser Acceleration Club ... Harvick will make a special appearance on Sunday morning at the Budweiser Acceleration Club - an all-inclusive fan hospitality club located in the New Holland Fan Plaza. Harvick is one of several drivers that will visit with fans in the Budweiser Acceleration Club, which is open on Saturday and Sunday. In addition to the driver appearances, admission to the club includes pre-race pit and paddock access, continental breakfast and catered lunch, unlimited water and sodas, drink tickets, entertainment, a Lot 3 parking pass and more. Visit www.mispeedway.com for additional ticket information.

Red, White and Blue Summer ... Budweiser's limited-edition red, white and blue packaging represents a special initiative in which the brand will contribute a portion of all sales from May 5 - July 4 to help raise as much as $1.5 million for the Folds of Honor Foundation*, which provides post-secondary educational scholarships for families of U.S. military personnel killed or disabled while serving their country. Since 2010, Budweiser has raised more than $5 million for the Folds of Honor Foundation and provided more than 1,000 educational scholarships to the families of soldiers killed or disabled in service. (*Donation of 2 cents per case of Budweiser sold May 5, 2013 to July 4, 2013, with a maximum donation of $1.5 million.
Celebrating a First ... Harvick will celebrate his first Father's Day with his 11-month-old son Keelan on Sunday.
Hangin' at the Team Chevy Stage ... Race fans can stop by and see Harvick at the Team Chevy Stage at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, June 26 from 9:40 to 9:55 a.m. Eastern Time as the RCR driver participates in a fan question-and-answer session. The No. 29 RCR pit crew will also stop by to sign autographs from 11 to 11:20 a.m.
Champion Chat ... Harvick will participate in his monthly Champion Chat on Tuesday, June 11, at 7 p.m. Eastern Time answering fan questions via Twitter and TweetChat.com. To ask a question, simply log on to TweetChat.com or Federal-Mogul's @ChampionParts Twitter feed and add the #ChampionChat hashtag to the end of each tweet. Harvick's video "Touts" will be available through the @ChampionParts Twitter feed as well as www.Tout.com (search for "#TeamChampion").

Race Rewind ... Harvick and the No. 29 Budweiser Folds of Honor Chevrolet team took home a 10th-place finish in the 2012 rain-delayed Michigan 400 after starting from the second position.

KEVIN HARVICK QUOTESWhat is the toughest aspect of running 400 miles at Michigan International Speedway? "It all just depends on how your day is going; it really does. If you're having a good day, it's not really hard to tell your guys what you need and everyone is in a good mood. If you're having a bad day, you can get behind at Michigan (International Speedway) really fast. Usually, when you're hooked up at Michigan, the leaders have clean air and move through traffic pretty well, but if you're in the middle of the pack, you find yourself getting behind and going a lap down pretty quick. You're going to end up with a green flag pit stop and a whole bunch of green flag laps. You just have to be going from the time the green flag drops and keep yourself in position."

What was your take on the 200-plus mph speeds we saw at Michigan International Speedway last year? "The speeds were high, but from where we sit, after two or three laps you become accustomed to however fast you're going. It definitely looked faster from the outside, but for us it was just another day at the office."

Jeff Burton
No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet SS

This Weekend's No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet at Michigan International Speedway ... Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 372 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable this weekend at Michigan International Speedway. This No. 31 Chevrolet was utilized earlier this season at Bristol Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Coca-Cola 600.
Career Michigan Stats ... This weekend's 400-mile event marks Burton's 39th start at the two-mile facility and 670th-career Sprint Cup Series entry. Burton has garnered four top-five and nine top-10 finishes at the track, along with two pole awards in 1996 and 2006. He has also led 76 laps at the Brooklyn, Mich.-based race track.

The Heart Walk in Sonoma ... Fans can start their Save Mart 350 race weekend off on the right foot by joining NASCAR driver Jeff Burton for a one-mile walk and breakfast, all in the name of heart health. Burton will team up with a Bay Area heart transplant survivor in the first-ever Heart Walk to BEAT Heart Disease at Sonoma Raceway. The Heart Walk, a collaboration between Sonoma Raceway, Save Mart Supermarkets, the American Heart Association and General Mills, will begin at 8:30 a.m. Pacific Time on Friday, June 21, in the Club 7 hospitality tent above the Turn 7 Terrace of Sonoma Raceway. The event will be followed by a heart-healthy breakfast sponsored by General Mills and Save Mart Supermarkets. The Heart Walk ticket package, which includes a seat for Great Clips Fast Friday NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, participation in the Heart Walk to BEAT Heart Disease and breakfast, are $25 each and may be purchased through Sonoma Raceway. Five dollars from each ticket will be donated to the American Heart Association to help in the battle against heart disease, the nation's number one killer of women. Fans that already have tickets for the Great Clips Fast Friday can make a simple $5 donation to join the BEAT Heart Walk at the event.
Race Rewind 2012 ... After starting last year's 200-lap race from the 33rd position, Burton and the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet team brought home a 21st-place finish after battling a tight-handling condition during the rain-delayed event at Michigan International Speedway.

JEFF BURTON QUOTEHow fast does a two-mile track like Michigan International Speedway really feel? "It will be faster this year than last year with this new Gen-6 race car. With this car and a little more knowledge about the tires among other things, it wouldn't surprise me to see us go faster. It does feel fast, but it doesn't feel as fast as somewhere like Dover (International Speedway). It is big, wide and smooth so the sensation of speed isn't like it is at a place like Dover."

Austin Dillon
No. 33 American Ethanol Chevrolet SS

This Week's American Ethanol Chevrolet SS at Michigan International Speedway ... Austin Dillon will pilot chassis No. 418 in the Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway. This former No. 27 entry was driven by teammate Paul Menard to a 13th-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, and a 17th-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway in April before it was converted to the black and green colors of American Ethanol.
Dillon at Michigan International Speedway ... Dillon competed in last year's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway. He posted lap times consistent with the top 10 competitors and ran in the top 15 before a broken radio caused him to fall one lap down to the race leader and finish 24th.
Think Green ... RCR's No. 33 Chevrolet team will sport the black and green colors of American Ethanol this weekend at Michigan International Speedway. American Ethanol, a renewable source of cleaner burning energy from the bounty of America's farmers, helps create new green jobs and a renewed sense of pride for the American worker, while helping to achieve greater energy security for our country. Launched by Growth Energy and the National Corn Growers Association, along with the support of other partners, American Ethanol is a breakthrough brand that seeks to expand consumer awareness of the benefits of ethanol and E15, and takes the NASCAR Green initiative to the next level. Since the program launch for the 2011 season, NASCARÆ drivers have run more than 4 million miles on renewable Sunoco Green E15.
A Family Tradition ... Dillon will spend Father's Day with his father, Mike Dillon (RCR's Vice President of Competition) and grandfather, Richard Childress, as they watch him race on Sunday at Michigan International Speedway.

Double Duty ... In addition to competing in Sunday's Sprint Cup Series race, Dillon is scheduled to drive the No. 3 AdvoCare Chevrolet Camaro in the NASCAR Nationwide Series on Saturday. The race is scheduled to air live on ABC on Saturday, June 15 beginning at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time.AUSTIN DILLON QUOTESYou have a busy race weekend coming up at Michigan International Speedway. "I'm going to be busy running both the No. 3 AdvoCare Chevrolet Camaro in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and the No. 33 American Ethanol Chevrolet SS in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this weekend at Michigan International Speedway. I'm looking forward to it. I love double duty. It's fun. I've enjoyed the races that I've been able to run in the Sprint Cup Series so far this year, and Michigan International Speedway is probably one of my favorite tracks. It's a big, fast place. It's nice and smooth. It's going to be fun."

Do you think the fans at Michigan International Speedway will be excited to see American Ethanol on the side of your NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car this weekend? "They're going to love it. We ran an American Ethanol paint scheme last year and it was really neat to get feedback from our fans. We went out to some camp sites during the race weekend last year and the fans were really positive and excited. There are a lot of people that are passionate about NASCAR who have become really interested in ethanol and want to learn about it because they see it on the race track running well. It's cool that I'm able to help show the benefits of a clean fuel that runs well."